Course Handbook

ORIENTATION MODULE UNIT 2

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Table of contents
1. Course overview 2
2. Learning outcomes 2
3. Learning times 3
4. Participation requirements 4
5. Assessment 5
6. Technical considerations 5
6.1 Accessing the Online Campus 6
6.2 Protecting your login details 6

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Learning outcome:

LO5: Recall the grade distribution, pass requirements, technical considerations, and other
important student information.

This document provides the information you need regarding the distribution of grades,
minimum pass requirements, technical considerations and structure of this course.

1. Course overview
The UCT Agile Project Management short course is designed to prepare professionals to
function in an Agile environment, familiarising them with the principles and methods of the
Agile approach and building function skills applicable to their jobs. It aims to equip students
with a holistic understanding of the conditions required to use an Agile approach for a
project or business, as well as the limitations of the approach.

The course begins by introducing the history and principles of Agile Project Management.
This will provide students with the context in which an Agile approach first emerged and
outline the way in which Agile principles are currently being adapted to functional business
processes in a range of industries. In addition to gaining a familiarity with the terminology,
students will obtain practical skills in adaptive planning, continual improvement, and quality
and risk management in an Agile environment. They will also gain an appreciation of the
interpersonal tools required for engaging with stakeholders and facilitating high-
performance teams in an Agile environment.

2. Learning outcomes
The exit-level outcomes for this course are as follows:

• Identify the guiding principles of the Agile approach.

• Identify the appropriate conditions for the implementation of Agile Project

Management.

• Relate the phases in Agile Project Management to traditional project management

knowledge areas.

• Illustrate the impact of a value-driven approach on stakeholder engagement.

• Complete an adaptive project plan focusing on goals, values, and stakeholders.

• Analyse the core features of a high-performance team, and compare them with
your own experience of working in a team.

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 • Apply the core components of a continuous improvement plan, reflecting on
people, processes, and products.

• Assess risks and risk-mitigation strategies within an Agile project.

• Develop an Agile Project Management framework for a business.

3. Learning times
This course consists of eight modules. Each module is released on a Wednesday at
10:00am South African Standard Time (SAST). The deadline for your assignment
submission for that week is Tuesday 11:00pm SAST. You can consult the course calendar
on the Online Campus for a full breakdown of your assignment due dates. Assignment due
dates will be available in the week a module is released.

Each module is broken down into manageable chunks or units. It is recommended that you
work through the components within these units in the order they are presented. A unit
represents a meaningful portion of work where you can work through one or two key
concepts and bring these into immediate application before progressing. To learn
effectively, it is recommended that you complete a unit in one sitting.

Each module also aligns to a specific set of learning outcomes or learning objectives.
These relate to the specific learning goals you can hope to achieve for that module.

Note:

Should you have any additional questions regarding the structure of the course, the
assessments, or the grade distribution, please don’t hesitate to contact your Head Tutor
on the forums during the week, as they are not available over weekends to attend to your
queries.

Each module is estimated to take between 7 and 10 hours per week. See Figure 1 for a
visual breakdown of the estimated learning times.

Important note:

These learning times are only estimates, offered as a guide. The actual time spent working
through the course material may vary per student, depending on differences in learning
styles, language proficiency, internet speed, etc.

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 Figure 1: Estimated learning times per module.

4. Participation requirements
You will need to achieve an overall mark of 50% across all activities to pass this course,
as shown in the grading system in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Grading system for this course.

Your grade will be determined based on your performance in the following activities:

• Activity submissions: Grading of activity submissions is done by the Tutor team

and marks are awarded at their discretion. Results and feedback will be released
one week after the assessment deadline.

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Tel: +27 21 447 7565 | Fax: +27 21 447 8344

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 • Assessment quizzes: Quizzes are graded automatically and your results with
feedback will be released one week after the assessment deadline.

• Small group discussion forums: Small group discussion forums are graded
automatically based on your participation.

Class-wide forums, practice quizzes, and enrichment activities are not graded.

Certificates of completion will be issued in your legal name upon successfully completing
the course according to the stipulated requirements for award of a certificate. No certificate
will be issued to you if you do not meet the stipulated requirements for the award of a
certificate.

5. Assessment
This section indicates how graded assessments are distributed throughout this course, and
the individual weighting of each assessment in relation to your overall grade.

Figure 3: Grade distribution for activities per module.

6. Technical considerations
You will need the following software and hardware to make the most of this course:

• Microsoft Word

• Adobe Acrobat (or similar PDF reader)

For any technical queries or difficulties, please contact your Success Advisor.

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All Rights Reserved

Tel: +27 21 447 7565 | Fax: +27 21 447 8344

Website: www.getsmarter.com | Email: info@getsmarter.com

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6.1 Accessing the Online Campus
The Online Campus is your online learning environment where you will access your
learning content and engage in collaborative learning activities.

The Online Campus is accessible at the following URL:

uct.onlinecampus.getsmarter.com

6.2 Protecting your login details

Do not divulge your login and password details to anyone. Additionally, do not leave your
computer unattended when you are securely logged in on the Online Campus.

© 2020 UCT / GetSmarter

All Rights Reserved

Tel: +27 21 447 7565 | Fax: +27 21 447 8344

Website: www.getsmarter.com | Email: info@getsmarter.com

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